Wrench



4June ll, 1929.

E. Nl'cKl-:BsoN

WRENCH Filed March l, 1927 Patented ,lune 11, 1922.

NEE@ STATE ELMER NICKEESON, OF OUTLOOK, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THRD TO JOHNSON, 0F OUTLOOK, MONTANA. v

wanneer.

Application fll'ed March 1, 1927. Serial No. 171,835.

This invention relates to wrenches and particularly to wrenches having opposed jaws and a handle, the jaws being movable toward or from each other.

The general object of the invention is to provide a wrench of this character comprising two members pivotally engaged with each other-and having aws at their free ends and provide very simple and easily operated `means permitting the jaws to be freely shifted towards each other but looking the jaws against outward movement when the jaws are under strain, said locking means being rea-dily releasable, however, to permit the jaws to be opened.

A further object is to provide a wrench of this character `inwhich the two members are each slotted, the slot of one member extending diagonally to the slot of the other and provide a pin passing through the slots, the slot in one jaw or mjember being serrated and the pin being forced into locked engagement in said serrations by the action of the diagonally disposed slot of the other member when the jaws are under strain, tending` to force them apart. i

'A' further object is to provide a structure of this character so formed that the rear extremity of one of the members constitutes a screw driver and therear extremities of said members being so formed as to provide a wire cutter. Y j

Other objects will appear more fully in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in theV accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a'vertical sectional view thereof;

Fig. 4 is al section on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Referring to these drawings it will be seen that my improved wrench co-nsists of two opposed members. The member 10, as shown in Figure 4, is formed of a piece of metal which is folded, cast or otherwise constructed to provide two opposed thicknesses 11 joined along one edge. The member is preferably tapered toward its rear end and the two thicknesses are connected by a web 12 adjacent the rear end. The extremity of the member 10 is formed to provide a screw driver blade 13. Inward of thisv blade 13 the member 10 is diagonally slotted, as at 14.

The opposite faces of the member 10 are each formed with a longitudinally extending slot 15, one longitudinal or edge of which is serrated, as at 16. rlhe outer face of each portion 11 is depressed around the slot 15, as at 17, so as to provide a longitudinally extending shoulder 18. ylhe forward end of the member 10 is formed to provide the jaw 19, the inner face of which may be serrated or smooth as desired.. Y 1

Operating between-the thicknesses 11 of member 10 is the member 20, at its forward end provided with the jaw 21 confronting the jaw 19. rthis member 20 extends, rearward wit-hin the member 10 and is pivoted at 22 to the member 10. The tail of member 20 is formed to provide a cutting edge 23 operating across the slot 14, the walls of which are beveledV to constitute a cutting edge or edges. ylhe forward or free end of the member 20 is urged away from the forwardcnd of the member 10 by means of the spring 24 which is carried in the member 20 and bears against the inner face of the wall Vconnecting the thicknesses 11. The member 20 is provided with a diagonally extending slot 25 which intersects the slot 15, and passing through these slots is a pin 26 smaller in width than the width [of the slots and formed to engage in the serrations 16 when forced toward the member 20, this pin carrying the exterior buttons 27 and 28 which slide within the depressed portionV 17, each of these buttons having a straight edge face which bears.,

against and slides on the corresponding shoulder 18. YThe slot 15 has a greater width than the width of the pin 26 so that the pin has a slight movement within the slot'15 at y jaws are closed, the cutting edges on the walls of slots 14 acting to snip off the wire.

ln the use of this device as a wrench, if it be desired to open the jaws, one or the other CII of the buttons is pressed forward.` The forward pressure on the pin 26 againstthe d1- agonal slot acts to force the pin against the straight wall of the slot 15 and, therefore, away from the serrations 16. This permits the pin to move freely to the forward end of the slots 15 and 25,. When the wrench has been opened to the proper extent, it is inserted over the nut or other part to be turned, and then the wrench may be manipulated in either direction. The strain on the jaw 21 tending to move it away from the jaw 19 will cause the outer wall of the diagonal slot 25 to bear against the pin 26 and force it into engagement with the serrations 16, locking the wrench against any further opening movement of the jaws. The wrench will remain locked until the jaws are manually closed. When the handle of the wrench is grasped and pressure is applied to the member 20, the member 120 will be forced toward the member 10 and the diagonal slot 25 will shift the pin 26 andits buttons rearward. If

it be desired to open the wrench, one of the buttons is pushed forward, as by the thumb, and the wrench may be opened to any extent required by this movement and then upon strain being applied to the jaws, the wrench will be locked as heretofore described.

Vhile I have illustrated the inner faces of the jaws 19 and 21 as being at aslight angle to each other and as being serrated, I do not wish to be limited to this as the jaws may be disposed in other than an angular relation and may be entirely smooth. Neither do I wish to be limited to the exact form of the wrenchas it is obvious that the principles of the invention may be applied in many different forms. f

It will be seen from Figure 3 thatthe pin 26 has a sli-ding fit within the slot'25 and is formed with a tooth fitting the teeth 16 of the slot 15. It is also to be noted that the slot '15 is disposed at a slight angle to the shoul- Yder immediately above.

This is so that the adjusting pinshall not slide over the notches too readily. I do not wish to be limited to one tooth as illustrated as one or more teeth mayy be used. The shoulders 18 act to reinforce the wrench at the-point where the heaviest strain comes and also forms a shield for the buttons 27 and 28 `so that these buttons are notso liable to bemoved when the side of the wrench. comes in Contact with other objects or when laid down.l

' I claim' '1. A wrench Ycomprising two members pivoted to each other adjacent one end and formed to provide jaws at the opposite end, one of said members having a longitudinally extending slot and the other having a diagonal slot intersecting the longitudinal slot, the longitudinal slot having one longitudinal edge serrated, and a pin extending through the slots and having operating buttons at its outer ends, the pin being forced into said serrations by one wall of the diagonal slot when the jaws are strained open.

2. A wrench comprising two members pivoted to each other adjacent one end and formed to provide jaws at the opposite end, one of said members having a longitudinally extending slot and the other having a diagonal slot intersecting the longitudinal slot, the longitudinal slot having one longitudinal edge serrated, and a pin extending through lthe slots and having operating buttons at its extending slot having a serrated longitudinal edge, the other member having a diagonally 'disposed slot intersectingthefirst named slot, a pin passing through the slots and having buttons upon its outer ends, the pin having a width less than the width of the rst named slot and being formed to engage in said serrations when forced against the serrations by pressure exerted by a wall of the diagonal slot when the jaws are strained towards open position.

4. A wrench comprising two members, one of said members being formed to embrace a portion of the other member, the members being pivoted to each other adjacent their rear ends and at their opposite ends being formed with two opposed jaws, the opposed walls ofthe first named member being longitudinally slotted and the slots each having one of its longitudinal edges serrated, the sec` ond named member having a diagonal slot intersecting said first named slots, the outer faces of the walls of the first named member being depressed to one side of thelongitudinal slots to form longitudinally extending shoulders, each extending substantially parallel to the serrated edge of the corresponding slot, a pin passing through the slots of the two members and sliding longitudinally therein and having buttons on its extremities, each button having a straight face slidably engaging said shoulders.

5. A wrench comprising two members, one of said members being formed to embrace a portion of the other member, the members being pivoted to each other adjacent their rear ends and at their opposite ends being formed with two opposed jaws, the opposed walls of the first named member being longitudinally slotted, one longitudinal wall of each slot having its edge serrated, the second named member having a diagonal slot intersecting slots of the tWo members and having buttons 10 said rst named slots, the outer faces of the on its extremities, each button having a Walls of the first named member being destraight face slidably engaging said correpressed along one side of each of the longispending shoulder, and a spring urging the tudinal slots to form a longitudinally extendjaw ends of the members from each other.

ing shoulder on the outer face of each Wall In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my 15 of the first named member extending approxsignature.

imately parallel to the serrated edges of the Slots, a pin passing through and sliding in the ELMER NIOKERSON. 

